There are a few things, and I stress just a few, that I miss from my old days of working for someone else. Here is my mini list. Enjoy!

My small group of crazy coworkers. They really made my days enjoyable. We'd watch videos like Old Gregg and mess with our OCD co-worker who would line up squishy rhinos on his desk. If you moved one even a tenth of a centimeter, he always knew! I really miss caring about the people I was around. Although they were almost all men since I worked in IT, we really had some amazingly deep conversations. I miss that. I miss the girl with way too much Hello Kitty on her desk and the guy who always talked really annoying politics.

Company provided coffee, tea and hot cocoa. Not that it was top of the line, it was more on the days when I couldn't get through one more network monitoring algorithm. That one last cup of something hot in my obscure office mug really just felt GOOD. I've been unable to recreate that feeling here at home. Of course I have a cup o'something anytime I want, it was just that one little glimmer of hope I had at the office. I guess it was the little things.

I miss having someone looking out for me. I know, big business looks out for no one. I was just lucky to have a few bosses who really did try to do nice things for me despite how crappy the company was.

I miss a regular schedule. When you are like me and support businesses in a technical and creative capacity, you will be up late at night at least once in a while. Not a real problem, but the oh look I work 11 am to 8 pm ONLY ( and on call with a blackberry on my hip ) was nice sometimes. The good thing in regards to having your own business is you can take off at 1 pm on a Monday if you want and go to a water park with your kid. All balances out I guess.

I miss that feeling you got when you took a long lunch. It's no longer exciting to stay out for 1.5 hours for lunch because I can do that everyday.

I know I wouldn't go back to Corporate America just because of the things I've mentioned but it's more of a nostalgic thing for me. I miss things and I feel like I need to find a way to keep my sanity while working from home. Being alone has always been my MO. I'm shy and inward, I reflect but like small groups and intimate conversation. Sometimes as someone who works at home you need to keep reality in check and make sure you aren't headed into a sad abyss of loneliness. Ok so it's not THAT dramatic, but you get the idea.